Daytime
by LavenderStorm
Summary: A day in the life of Soubi when he was in high school. Features Soubi, Seimei and eventually Ritsu. Fourth story in "Periods of the Day" series. Mentions of MxM, abuse
1. Chapter 1

**Well, a new story from me! I realized that my portrayal of Soubi seemed rather limited to interactions between Seimei and him, so I hope to rectify that slightly in this story, and to show a bit of his day-to-day interactions with others as well.**

**Oh yeah, silverbrilliance, this is for you. I tried to include your suggestions, the effects can probably be seen only in the next chapter though...:)  
**

**Fourth story in the "Periods of the Day" series, but can be read as a stand-alone. Please enjoy.  
**

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**Daytime - Part One**

The school bell rang. Ding dong. Ding dong. Once, twice, then it settled into silence as students rushed to their respective first period classes. Five minutes, then ten, passed and Seven Moons Academy once again regained its peaceful serenity as students and teachers alike settled in for lessons.

In the staffroom, Minami Reika leaned back against her leather armchair and sipped her tea contentedly. Every other teacher had left for their lessons, but her first class was not till nine o'clock, which meant that she had the place all to herself for the moment. The staffroom was illuminated by the as yet gentle and warm sunlight streaming through the windows, portraying a perfect atmosphere of placid serenity. _Ahh, no noisy students clamouring for my attention, no idiot brother with his snide comments, a lovely, quiet and peaceful morning…almost worth killing for._ She set down her cup on the table and turned back to her laptop, intent on finishing the work that Nana had asked of her before her first class.

Although she was not an official member of the Septimal Moon organization, Reika was still strongly affiliated to the group because of both her brother Minami Ritsu, and her _friend_, Nana. Well, perhaps 'friend' was not quite the right word, she thought dreamily as she envisioned Nana's huge bespectacled eyes and cute oval face…

Her daydream was soon interrupted by two crisp knocks on the door. Reika frowned. Just when she was getting to the good part too. "Enter," she called irritably. The door opened slowly as two students shuffled in hesitantly. "Ohaiyou gozaimasu, Reika-sensei," the girl murmured softly. With her delicate features and pale auburn hair tied into two short ponytails at the side of her head, Etou Yumi would have looked just like a doll had it not been for the pair of glasses on her face. Reika often thought that she should get contacts just so that her looks would not be marred by those overly large glasses.

"Well now, what's the matter, Yumi-chan?" As was her wont, she smiled gently at the girl, her favourite student. However, her gaze was soon drawn to the bandages on the other student. Hanayama Jirou sported several heavily bandaged limbs and a sullen scowl on his face. Reika's eyebrows shot up as she took in his battered appearance. Frowning slightly, she queried, "Jirou-kun, what happened to you?" Usually brash, Hanayama Jirou hung his head and would not meet her gaze.

Etou Yumi pushed her spectacles up with her forefinger with a slightly hesitant, yet determined expression on her face. Bowing formally, she replied, "Gomennasai, Reika-sensei. We fought Beloved as per your orders, however, we were defeated." Upon hearing that, Reika's frown deepened. Was that pair really that formidable? Reika refused to believe that, but even her best students had lost against them…

"Tell me everything," Reika commanded, her voice now cold and flinty. At that, Etou Yumi winced slightly, however, she squared her shoulders and started to speak. "Wait, Yumi. Allow me to do it." Hanayama Jirou had stepped forward slightly, his body automatically angled to partly shield Etou Yumi. Reika was amused but not surprised. For after all, it was a Fighter's job to protect his Sacrifice in any kind of situation. In that, Reika believed – it was one of the few beliefs she actually shared with her brother.

Nodding once, she gestured permission for Hanayama Jirou to continue. As he started his tale, Minami Reika settled back into her chair and watched as the sunlight illuminating the room grew brighter and brighter.

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Ding dong. Ding dong. The ringing of the bell heralded the first lesson of the day. Unfortunately for Agatsuma Soubi, he had arrived in class one minute after his homeroom teacher had. And as luck would have it, his homeroom teacher happened to be the one teacher in the entire school who disliked him most – Sagan Nagisa, the female teacher who had a not-so-secret crush on Ritsu-sensei, and as such, resented him for his prior sexual relationship with Ritsu-sensei.

With her hand on her hip and a scowl on her youthful, pretty face, Nagisa's posture was the total opposite of the sweet, innocent style she wished to carry off. "Why Agatsuma-kun, it's so nice of you to join us," Nagisa spoke in an acid-laced voice dripping with sarcasm. Agatsuma Soubi heaved a small mental sigh, knowing that Nagisa-sensei relished this opportunity to punish him. He shrugged slightly; there was nothing he could do about Nagisa-sensei's animosity, and in all honesty, he did not really care either. In this world, nothing mattered to him except Seimei's orders…

Irked by Agatsuma Soubi's nonchalance, Nagisa snapped, "Agatsuma, you will stand at the back of the class for the entire day. And I want a two-page long apology letter submitted by lunchtime." A long slow blink, then Soubi nodded once, curtly. Flipping his long, blonde and slightly damp hair out of the way with his left hand, he adjusted his sling bag, slung over one shoulder, slightly before stalking through rows of varied bored, amused or sardonic glances belonging to his fellow students. When he reached the back of the classroom, he leaned against the wall and allowed his bag to drop by his feet with a small thud. It was not that Soubi was a delinquent – far from it, his grades were always well above average, and he was usually civil and polite to the teachers – it was just that Soubi was tired and he no longer cared about how other students and even the teachers thought of his actions. It had been a long night and while all his physical wounds had mostly healed, Seimei had still shown signs of displeasure at breakfast…

"Agatsuma, stand up straight and answer this question." Nagisa smirked as a predatory smile lit up her youthful features – she had deliberately left the most difficult question for Soubi. With a start, Soubi snapped out of his thoughts. Pushing up his spectacles with his middle finger, he glanced at the question on the blackboard. It was a long mathematical question involving finding the coordinates of the intersection of two functions represented logarithmically. Given time and the aid of a graphic calculator, Soubi was sure he would be able to solve it, however, looking at Nagisa-sensei's face, he doubted that he would be allowed either.

_Might as well get it over with, _Soubi heaved a soft mental sigh. "Unfortunately, I do not know the answer, sensei. I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention." The tone of his reply was casually bland, highlighted by the small careless smile playing about his lips. He watched, slightly amused, as Nagisa narrowed her eyes at his impudence. Even though he knew that Nagisa would probably punish him for his cheek, he could not bring himself to care.

Nagisa's expression was furious as she opened her mouth. Before she could speak however, a low musical sound filled the classroom – it was the ringtone of someone's cell phone. Her eyes flashing, Nagisa glared at the class, watching to see if anyone would _dare _to actually answer their phone in front of her. The sound seemed as if it was coming from the back of the classroom. _No way…_

As Nagisa stared in disbelief, Soubi reached into the side pocket of his black, straight-cut school pants and plucked out a slim, silver-coloured handphone. Much as he had not planned to antagonize Nagisa any further, there was no question of him not answering_ this _call. No matter what he happened to be doing at that moment, he would always answer phone calls with this ringtone, for only if _that_ person was calling would his handphone ring with this particular piece of music…

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Original Characters:

花山治郎 - Hanayama Jirou, Fighter of Enraged. A brash, cocky teenager in Soubi's language class. Lost in the fight against Beloved in "The Evening Before".

江藤夕美 - Etou Yumi, Sacrifice of Enraged. A cool and usually calm female student, younger than her Fighter by one year, second-year student in high school.

南麗香 - Minami Reika, younger sister of Minami Ritsu, a subtly cunning woman with a strong and forceful personality.

From Loveless:

南律 - Minami Ritsu, the teacher gave Soubi personal training to become the best Fighter ever. Was also the one who took Soubi's ears.

我妻草灯 - Agatsuma Soubi, Fighter of Beloved, absolutely obedient to his Sacrifice's will. Third-year student in high school.

青柳清明 - Aoyagi Seimei, Sacrifice of Beloved, master of Soubi, sadistic and intelligent. Final-year student in junior high/secondary school.

目渚 - Sagan Nagisa, has a not-so-secret crush on Ritsu. Dislikes Soubi too.

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**Ooh**...**so who's the person calling? Haha, it should be relatively easy to guess, neh?**

**Feedback and comments are very welcome:D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Aww, no guesses. Well, I guessed it was pretty obvious. XD**

**Oh yeah, silverbrilliance, as per your advice, I tried a more subtle form of torture. Hope you like it! :)  
**

**Anyway, on with the story...  
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**Daytime – Part Two**

_The caller could only be one person… _

"Ohaiyou…" Soubi answered the call with a informal but polite good morning_. "Soubi , I have a task for you." _As usual, Aoyagi Seimei, his Sacrifice and master, skipped the courtesies and got straight to the point. _"I need you to find out who those two students from yesterday evening are working for. Etou is not the type to initiate a spell battle of her own accord. Coupled together with recent occurrences…"_ As Soubi listened to Seimei's words, he could not help but notice that Nagisa was glaring at him in mixed incredulous disbelief and simmering anger.

"_Soubi. Are you listening to me?" _Seimei's voice sounded mildly irritated. "Hai, Seimei." Soubi replied instantly. Seimei's breathing was the only sound that could be heard through the phone for a few seconds. _"Hmm, is that so…Where are you and what are you doing right now?_" Soubi winced internally; he should have known that Seimei would suspect something. But if he answered Seimei's question and revealed the situation he was in now, he had no doubt that Seimei would find a way to make the situation worse for Soubi.

"I am standing at the back of the classroom right now, talking to you on my cell phone." Soubi tried to be as generic as possible, however, he knew it was useless; he could almost feel Seimei's smirk. "_Indeed. And what is the teacher doing?" _ Soubi glanced at Nagisa; from all appearances, it looked like she would devour him at any moment. He breathed a barely audible sigh, preparing himself for the inevitable; for he could never ever lie to Seimei, not even to save himself from suffering. "Nagisa-sensei is glaring at me with what appears to be murderous intent," his voice was soft as he replied.

"_I see." _Soubi shivered slightly at Seimei's tone; he just knew that if he could see Seimei not, his smirk would be growing wider and wider. _"Hmm, Soubi, I'm afraid that this conversation is likely to take quite long. In order not to cause trouble for Nagisa-sensei, I want you to step outside for a few minutes. Find a quiet spot, then we'll continue our discussion." _Soubi closed his eyes for a second before reopening them. "Hai, Seimei." The thought of disobeying Seimei's unreasonable order did not even cross his mind.

Holding the cell phone in his hand, Soubi took a deep breath before turning to Nagisa. "Shitsurei shimasu, sensei. Excuse me, I have to go outside for a few moments." As he headed towards the door, he watched as Nagisa's face flushed with anger. "Agatsuma." Nagisa's tone was deadly. She had passed the irritated stage straight into true rage. "If you take one step out of the classroom, I'll, I'll…"

His long blonde hair shadowed his face as Soubi paused at the threshold of the classroom. Carelessly, he stated, "Heh. I'll accept any punishment later, Nagisa-sensei. However, _his_ word is Law." With half the class and the teacher staring after him incredulously, Soubi left the classroom.

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When Hanayama Jirou had finally finished his tale, Reika tapped the pencil she had picked up a few moments ago on the desk thoughtfully. "So. Beloved defeated Enraged easily, neh?" At that comment, Hanayama Jirou bristled. However, before he could retort, Etou Yumi had placed one restraining hand on his arm. Hanayama Jirou subsided.

No longer amused by Hanayama's attitude, Reika's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "I'd listen to Yumi-chan if I were you, Jirou-kun. Curb your arrogant display in front of me – you have no _right_, not after losing to them." His eyes flashed slightly at those words; Hanayama Jirou had a more than healthy dose of adolescent pride. However, as he met Reika's gaze, he soon found that he had no retort to give, for Reika-sensei was correct. As his shoulders drooped in defeat, he lowered his gaze as well. "Sumimasen, sensei," he muttered.

Reika ignored her student, contemplating the options left to her. She _had_ to defeat the Beloved pair somehow, if she was going to get that insufferable brother of hers to do _that…_ _Maybe I should mobilize them? Hmm…yes I think I'll do exactly that, _she decided as she grabbed her mug and finished her tea. As she cast her eye on the two students who had failed at their task, she sighed. Maybe she had been too harsh on them, after all, it was only to be expected that her elder brother's favourite Fighter would possess _some_ ability. After a few kind words telling them to rest well and to take care of their wounds, she dismissed them.

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The second lesson of the day was language class, a class taught by Minami Reika, Ritsu-sensei's younger sister. Unfortunately, at least to Soubi, Minami Reika strongly resembled her elder brother, right down to her shorter-than-shoulder-length pale silver hair and piercing eyes. The only difference was that while Ritsu-sensei wore glasses with a square frame, Reika-sensei did not wear spectacles at all. Soubi often thanked the heavens for that; he did not think he could stand seeing anyone look _that_ alike to the man who had taken his virginity and thereafter ruthlessly abandoned him for any length of time.

As Reika-sensei begun her lesson, Soubi shook his head slightly as he contemplated his choices; he could either complete that blasted apology letter now or come up with a plan to complete the task given by Seimei…

"Soubi, find out who Etou is working for, and what the true intentions of the mastermind are. And under no circumstances will you allow them to find out that you're investigating them. Understood?"_ Once Seimei had made Soubi leave the classroom, his tone had become dispassionate, his orders, clinical, crisp and to the point. Soubi had winced slightly at the extra question attached to the orders – Seimei only ever did that when he was displeased with Soubi. At all other times, he did not require confirmation of his orders as he expected, and quite correctly too, that Soubi would follow his orders to the letter. "Hai, wakarimashita...Master." Soubi had purposely appended the respectful address to his reply, hoping that Seimei would be mollified. Then Seimei, on his part, had allowed Soubi to stew for a few long seconds before replying, _"Good. As much as you're useless, I expect you to be able to complete this simple task. Do not disappoint me again, Soubi."_Then a soft click had indicated that Seimei had hung up._

With a mental shake to stop his thoughts of wandering, Soubi brought himself back to the present. Glancing to his left, he noted that three seats away from him, Hanayama Jirou was eyeing him with something akin to hatred. Soubi's lips twitched into a small smirk; Hanayama was just so predictable. Well, it was not that he could not understand his classmate's dislike, after all, he had hurt the Fighter-Sacrifice pair quite severely the previous evening. Soubi himself however, rarely felt any strong emotions for those he fought. In fact the only reason he fought anyone at all was because he was ordered to do so by Seimei.

Which brought him back to Seimei's most recent orders…how was he to carry them out? The most logical option would be to pump his fellow classmates for information, however, Soubi had never been on close terms with any of his classmates; there would be no reason for anyone to provide him with the information that he need. After all, humans did not do anything unless their actions would possibly benefit them...it was the same with everyone. Not that Soubi cared one way or another; he only needed one single person – one single person to control him.

As he mused upon the foibles of human nature, an idea occurred to him. True, it was foolish as well as risky, however, Soubi decided that it was the simplest and most direct way to get to the bottom of the matter, short of marching up to Hanayama and interrogating him. His mind made up, Soubi turned his attention back to Reika-sensei and the lesson.

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**Heh, contrast Soubi's behaviour when he is with Seimei, as compared to with Ritsuka**...**I'm sure Soubi did not _dare_ to lie to Seimei. Ever**.

**But I bet Soubi's habit of treating teachers with that attitude would remain kind of constant...:D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I had to up the rating slightly because of the scene between Reika and Nana. See silverbrilliance, I did include your *cough* **_**interesting **_***cough*****suggestion. Though I seriously have no inkling of whether that is how a 'romantic' scene should play out…**

**Warning - Some hints of one-sided shoujo-ai in this chapter.**

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**Daytime - Part Three**

When not concentrating on delivering her lesson, Reika had been eyeing Agatsuma Soubi discreetly for the last hour. For the first fifteen minutes of her lesson, she was quite sure that, wherever his mind was, it was not on her lesson. That, and the glances he had thrown at Jirou-kun, revealed to Reika that his mind was still on the previous evening's fight. Well, so was hers. She had been quite surprised to find that Soubi was every bit the Fighter that her annoying brother had described. If not for the healing abilities of the school nurse, Reika had no doubt that Jirou-kun would be lying in a sickroom for the better part of one month. She had no idea that Soubi could be that merciless…though perhaps that could be attributed to his Sacrifice's orders, judging from Jirou-kun's description of the pre-battle dynamics between Fighter and Sacrifice.

Just when she had decided to put a stop to Soubi's wool-gathering however, Soubi had returned his attention to her lesson. For the rest of class, no matter how she tried, she could not find any slip in his behavior. Even instructing him to answer the most difficult questions did not help – Soubi's forte was in languages and he was easily the best student in her class.

When class had ended, Reika had immediately stalked off, irritated and frustrated by the events of the morning. Deciding that she should rectify her bad mood by binging on food, she had proceeded to indulge herself in her favourite toriiniku bento and green tea ice-cream in the school canteen. After she had finished licking the last of the green tea ice-cream from her spoon, she saw a person who brightened up the remainder of her day.

By then, the school canteen was quite empty, for the students' recess had just ended. The lights had been switched off so that the canteen was illuminated only by natural sunlight. As her_ friend_ entered the room, Reika's eyes immediately turned to her. Pale hair tied in a high ponytail, oval glasses and smoky, mysterious eyes. Plain, simple clothes, which only served to accentuate her slender figure and pretty features, clothed her slender frame. _Nana…_Reika breathed softly, but she soon caught herself. It would not do to show Nana how affected she was by Nana's mere presence. Setting aside the last of her food, she rose and stalked towards Nana like a female panther.

Sleek, elegant and sexy…those were the only coherent thoughts Nana could form as Minami Reika sashayed towards her. Dressed in a white cropped jacket thrown over a tight leopard print blouse and straight-cut white pants, Reika's dress sense was, as usual, wickedly hot. The bronze-tinted make-up on her eyes and lips did not subtract from the overall effect either, Nana thought, frozen in her tracks as Reika approached. Nana's brain went into panic mode and temporarily shut down; it only managed to repeat one refrain over and over again mentally, _Oh my, oh my, what should I do, what should I do...  
_

"Hey Na-chan, did you miss me?" Taking advantage of her height, Reika maneuvered Nana into the closest wall and effectively pinned her down by placing her left hand on the wall besides Nana's head. A slight blush coloured Nana's cheeks as she stared up at Reika, her gaze helplessly captured by Reika's deep, intense grey eyes. "Reika-san…" Nana whispered softly. She froze: as slowly, Reika's right hand moved to remove her spectacles.

Looking into Nana's pale hazel eyes, Reika felt herself mesmerized by her beautiful orbs, hidden behind those unfashionable glasses. After removing the silver-wire framed pair of spectacles from Nana's pretty oval face, Reika tucked it into Nana's shirt pocket before returning her long fingers to Nana's face. Tracing her delicate jaw-line with one beautifully manicured fingernail slowly, Reika leaned in even closer, her ample bosom almost brushing against Nana.

"You've been avoiding me, Na-chan…Don't you know how much I missed you?" So saying, she leaned down further and pressed her cherry red lips against Nana's soft, pink ones, using her right hand to lift up Nana's chin.

The sensation almost overwhelmed Reika. The feel of Nana's plump, moist and delectable lips beneath hers was just…perfect. So much so that she did not notice the presence behind her, and so, she was totally shocked when she was abruptly pulled off Nana but a strong but surprisingly slender grasp on her left wrist. "Get your hands off Nana-chan!" Reika turned to see a furious Sagan Nagisa standing next to her.

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When the bell signaling the beginning of recess had sounded, Soubi did not waste any time in packing up his stuff. Out of the corner of an eye, he watched as Hanayama haphazardly threw his books into his backpack before leaving the classroom by the back door. After allowing a pair of chattering female students to leave before him, Soubi too left by the back door.

Keeping a few students between them, Soubi trailed after Hanayama carefully, striving to keep his action casual. Much as he would like to use a spell to aid in shadowing Hanayama, he knew that the latter was too good a fighter not to notice a spell being cast in such close proximity to him. Although it did appear that he was much worse when it came to taking note of his surroundings…Soubi had decided on this seemingly foolhardy plan after some thought; he was sure that Hanayama would have to report the outcome of the fight to the person who had ordered it personally, for surely that person would not be content with an indirect report. So that meant that Hanayama would meet the person face-to-face, probably with Etou present as well…

Ahead of him, Hanayama reached the end of the corridor, rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Soubi paused. Corners were the bane of every spy or detective he had ever read about, since they represented an insurmountable blind spot for the person tailing the target. But there was no use worrying over it, was there? With normal strides, he followed after Hanayama…

…when suddenly, he felt a cold hand on his left shoulder.

"My my, where do you think you're going, Agatsuma? Sneaking around like a rat…" A voice sneered from behind him. Soubi turned his head slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two male students standing behind him. The taller one had long, straight raven black hair and a leanly muscled physique while the shorter teenager had the short, spiky platinum blonde hair and dangling ear ring typical of a punk. The one who had stopped Soubi had been the blonde, who was now smirking at him. The brunette was observing Soubi coolly with arms folded across his chest.

"And what, may I ask, do you want?" Soubi shrugged off the blonde's hand with a small flip of his own long blonde hair before turning around to face the two students. Both did not have those cat-like ears, signaling that they were both adults. The brunette looked slightly familiar; he was sure that he was a senior, in the same year as him, although he had never shared any classes with him. The blonde was Ikeda Jun, a person who, just two years ago, Soubi would have called a friend. And they were a Fighter Unit – that Soubi could sense. Had this been anywhere else, he would have marked them before they came within one kilometer of him, however, here at the Seven Moons Academy, fighters and sacrifices were aplenty, such that Soubi had barely even registered their presence.

The student with black hair pushed his rectangular spectacles higher on his nose. "Kimura Shouhei. I'm Jun's Sacrifice. We are Hopeless." Soubi allowed a small smile to blossom on his lips. "Hopeless? Well, I wouldn't go that far, I'm sure you have some redeeming qualities…" Ikeda Jun scowled at that witticism and stuck out his middle finger at Soubi. "Very funny, Agatsuma. Seems like you still lack the all-important organ…people call it a brain…Let me tell you what our name truly means – we cause in our opponents this feeling, this feeling of absolute despair."

Soubi's smile widened as he pushed up his oval glasses using his index figure. "I see. But I have no interest in that. Which brings me back to my question – what do you want?"

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Original Characters:

木村翔平 – Kimura Shouhei, Sacrifice of Hopeless. Quiet and collected, he is the only person who can rein in Jun. Third-year high school student.

池田淳 – Ikeda Jun, Fighter of Hopeless. Hot-tempered, foul-mouthed and emotional. Was once Soubi's friend. Third-year high school student.

Character from the manga:

ナナ- Nana, a member of the Septimal Moon organization who feels that Nagisa is her only friend. Is extremely unsure of her feelings towards Reika.

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**Another chapter up, please tell me whether you liked it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**The continuation of this story must be credited, in part, to fugu-chan's most timely review. Thank you for your comments and encouragement.**

**Silverbrilliance, I tried to include some emotional torture, hope you like it.**

**Everyone, please enjoy the story.**

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**Daytime - Part Four**

"Why baka, what do you think? A spell battle of course. And people say you're a good Fighter…how can you be if you're this slow?" Ikeda Jun's smirk widened as he noticed Soubi's glare. "Jun, stop." The order that came from Kimura Shouhei, though short, was effective. "Hai, hai, Shou-san." Ikeda Jun shrugged and smiled cavalierly, but did not comment any further.

"It's barely a few hours after training night - why?" Soubi directed his question at Kimura. Kimura tapped his finger lightly against his arm. He paused slightly before replying, "Because I wish to, of course. Agatsuma-kun, call your Sacrifice here." Soubi was silent. Call Seimei here? He could do that easily enough, through the Fighter-Sacrifice bond that he had with Seimei. And Seimei could get here quickly enough, since he was studying in the secondary school section that was right besides the high school section. The question was, did he want to disturb Seimei now? Without even completing the task that he had been given…Seimei would be displeased.

"This is a bother. I do not wish to battle." Soubi made to turn away from the pair. However, he was soon halted by a strong, vise-like grip on his wrist, which had been twisted into the small of his back. "Not so fast, Soubi-kun. Who said you could leave?" In a split second, Jun had grabbed hold of Soubi's hand and now refused to allow him to leave. Soubi's eyes narrowed. In addition to being trained in Judo, Jun had a tight grip and a sinewy body, and Kimura too looked liked he possessed a strong physique. If it came down to a physical battle, Soubi was not sure that he could win. Trapped in a dilemma, Soubi gave up. He could not decide on what he should do…

…which was why he reached out to his Sacrifice through the bond and _called_. Not for help, not for Seimei to come rushing to him, but for orders. If Seimei refused the battle, he would obey. Even if it meant that he would probably become the punching bag of these two…he met Jun's angry gaze. Two years ago, he had been Soubi's friend. The only friend Soubi ever had. By nature somewhat aloof, Soubi had not had many chances to make friends, especially when most of the other students had disliked him because they thought he sucked up to Ritsu-sensei in order to become his favourite. Jun had been the only one to ignore all that and reached out to Soubi. However, in the first year of high school, Jun had met his Sacrifice. And the two had drifted apart slowly…it did not help that the next time they met, Soubi had lost his ears to Ritsu-sensei. That time, the disgust in Jun's eyes had been mixed with anger. After that, even when they met inevitably in school, few words passed between them…

Soubi's cell phone rang. As much as it was possible to communicate through the thread-like bond between them, actual words were not possible and it could be difficult to convey one's exact message clearly. Hence, whenever possible, Seimei always preferred to use modern technology…Soubi glared at Jun. "Let go of me. That is from my Sacrifice." At a nod from Kimura, Jun obeyed.

Soubi immediately accepted the call. _"Soubi, explain the situation." _Seimei's voice sounded quite irritated – Soubi prayed that Seimei had not been in the midst of anything important, or he would have to pay for it. He did not look forward to being disciplined for two consecutive nights… "Hai, Seimei. As I was going about the task you gave me, Kimura Shouhei and Ikeda Jun of Hopeless appeared and demanded a spell battle with Beloved. What are your orders?" Seimei was silent for a short moment, probably because he was pondering the consequences of the various options open to him.

Meanwhile, Kimura and Jun exchanged meaningful glances. They had heard that the relationship between the Fighter and Sacrifice of the Beloved pair was the most unequal one ever – that the Fighter was openly and totally submissive to his Sacrifice. It looked like the rumour might be true after all.

"_Soubi, you will accept the challenge. Defeat them and show everyone the power of Beloved." _Soubi's heart lurched for an inestimable moment. Could it be? Was it even possible? Would Seimei do that for him? Soubi's voice trembled as a question involuntarily escaped his lips "You…are you coming?" As soon as the question was out, Soubi knew what the answer would be. He closed his eyes, as if that action would somehow blot out the hurt that was to come.

Seimei's laughter was rich and melodious. _"Don't be ridiculous Soubi. Why would I go to your side just because of this? You will fight them on Automatic mode." _ Soubi felt like a lance had pierced his heart. That mocking laughter, to Soubi, was like the sharpest of blades, easily cutting through his flimsy defenses to wound his fragile heart. Soubi bowed his head, even though he knew that Seimei could not see him. Seimei's voice held several shades of irritation and mocking sadism as he continued,_ "Do not be presumptuous, Soubi. You're only a tool – my tool, to wield as I see fit. Never forget that." _

"Hai, Seimei. Gomennasai."Soubi's voice was a mere whisper as he struggled to bury his fragile emotions. He already knew that he was only a tool to Seimei; it did not matter to him as long as he was needed. That was what he told himself, but why, why then, why did he still feel hurt at Seimei's words? A soft click from the phone told him that Seimei had hung up. Soubi took a deep breath to regain his composure before opening his eyes.

After returning his cell phone to its rightful place in his pocket, Soubi turned back to Hopeless. "I have been ordered to accept the challenge. So…let's do it." So saying, he removed his fragile glasses and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Jun and Kimura exchanged another glance. "We can wait for your Sacrifice." Kimura stated.

Soubi lowered his bag onto the ground. "That will not be necessary. He is not coming." "What? You think you can take us on while in Automatic mode?" Jun's eyes flashed with anger and shock; he sounded incredulous. Hissing, he continued in a low snarl, "You bastard! How dare you look down on us…"

"Jun, please." Again, two words from Kimura Shouhei stopped Ikeda Jun mid-rant. He turned to Agatsuma Soubi and eyed him measuringly. "It does not matter whether Aoyagi comes. We just have to defeat Beloved. Just a word of warning Agatsuma – we will not go easy on you." Agatsuma Soubi did not reply to the grim pronouncement. Instead, he slowly unbuttoned the high-collared school shirt to reveal…Jun could not help but gasp in shock. The area right above Agatsuma's collarbone, that pale, alabaster flesh was perfectly smooth save for the scars; barbed wires carved in a criss-crossed pattern onto his skin, directly above the name he shared with his Sacrifice – Beloved. Those scars looked extremely _painful_. And if what Reika-sensei said was true, those were carved personally by his Sacrifice. And those submissive words and body language he showed while on the phone with his sacrifice just now…_What kind of life has he been leading these two years? What kind of relationship does he have with his Sacrifice? _Jun could not even begin to fathom what said Sacrifice must have been thinking when he caused those scars – he knew that Shou-san would never ever do that to him.

However, Jun soon brought his thoughts under control. What did it matter to him how Agatsuma's Sacrifice treated him? That was none of his business; he just had to defeat Agatsuma. "Two bodies, two minds, one entity. Our name is Hopeless and we challenge Beloved to a spell battle. Battle system, expand!" As the usual blank darkness flowed over the school's brightly whitewashed corridors, Agatsuma responded in kind. "My name is Beloved and I accept your challenge. I will be on Automatic mode. Battle system, expand."

And so, the battle between Hopeless and Beloved's fighter unit, Agatsuma Soubi, began.

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**Hope everyone derives the same amount of pleasure from the reading as I do from the writing:)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hmm, not sure if there's anyone following this story, but just in case, I must warn everyone that updates will be slower from now on. Because I'm still undecided about where to go with this story.**

**Anyway, please do enjoy this longer-than-usual chapter:)  
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**Daytime – Part Five**

Pressure. Overwhelming and suffocating. For a single moment, Soubi felt as if he was drowning in a sea of hopelessness, an ocean of abject despair. Grey. The colour of nothingness. All his dreams, all the aspirations he ever had, all the hopes that he had ever haboured seemed light-years away, far and removed. He felt as if it was impossible for any of them to come true, washed away as they were, as if they had never existed in the first place. Those dreams and hopes, so very important to him…

But wait. Dreams…hopes…important…for the life of him, Soubi could not recall any single such dream…he had no impression of any such hopes…

…with that thought, Soubi broke out of the web of despair and hopelessness that Hopeless had so carefully woven. He smiled grimly. Dreams, ambitions and hope? No doubt it was one of the best attacks he had seen, however, it was just not effective against someone like him. _When have I ever had any dreams or hopes? I am, in the end, nothing more than _his_ tool, _his _Fighter. _The only dream he ever had, to be Ritsu's Fighter, had been cruelly crushed when Ritsu-sensei had given him to Seimei. His aim of becoming the perfect Fighter, once a goal to be worked towards with his dream in mind, was now nothing more than a duty to him, reinforced by Seimei's expectations. Even though he would do anything, undergo the harshest of training, the strictest of discipline, to become the perfect fighter, in the end, it was not because he yearned for it from the bottom of his soul.

"Despair has no effect against one without hope in the first place. Disappear, like smoke in the face of wind." Clawing his way out of the miasma of pressure trying to bury, suffocate and drown him, Soubi uttered a counter-spell. As the blank wall of greyness cleared away in a whirlwind of swirling mist, Soubi could make out the surprised face of his one-time friend, Ikeda Jun.

_What? How did he managed to counteract my strongest move? To this date, only two persons have actually managed to awake from this spell, and even they took quite some time to gather the willpower to shrug it off…_Jun's eyes narrowed as he took in the implications of Soubi's words. _The spell has no effect on him because it sought to crush hopes which he never had? How can that be? All humans have dreams, hopes, expectations for the future…_As these thoughts crossed his mind, he met Soubi's eyes and took in the small, sorrowful smile on Soubi's face…

…"_Sou-kun, my Sacrifice is enrolling at this school tomorrow! Isn't that great?" __With a wide grin on his face, __Jun smacked the taller boy on the arm. The two were having breakfast on the roof of the school building, leaning back against the wall of the stairwell leading to the roof. It had become something of a ritual to them, though Jun noted that Soubi wasn't resting against the wall today. "I suppose…" An unenthusiastic reply came from Soubi, who had had no other reaction to being hit painfully on the arm. Sometimes, Jun wondered about Soubi's stoic forbearance. "Why do you look so glum? You should be happy for me!" Jun had tried to get Soubi to cheer up. And the boy had given him that same sad little smile…_

Jun often thought back to that day, one of the last friendly conversations between them, wondering if Soubi had already known about how Shou-san's entrance into his life would affect his friendship with Soubi. Before he realized it, Jun had been consumed by life as a bonded Fighter, and had drifted away from Soubi. Then one fine day, Soubi had appeared in class without his ears. Jun had been horrified and angry, more so because Soubi absolutely refused to tell him to whom he had lost his ears. That had led to a huge quarrel. Hasty, nasty words were said, and afterwards, their budding friendship had been shattered. Hereafter, both pretended the other did not exist, or was, at best, a mere stranger. _If not for my temper, would we still be friends today? Would I have been able to prevent that look of sorrow? _

Guilt. Concern. Wistful longing. As a torrent of emotions threatened to envelope Jun, words slipped out of his mouth, unbidden. "Sou-kun, how _are_ you?" In those simple words, years of suppressed emotions were revealed. Behind him, he heard a slight cough of worry from Shou-san. Jun blushed slightly, angry at himself for allowing that sign of weakness. Immediately, he tried to cover it up with another attack. "Flames of dark emotions; anger and hatred born of guilt, arise and burn him!"

Fire, brightly burning yet tinged with the black of strong emotions, surrounded Soubi in an instant. Another other Fighter would have inevitably reacted by either flinching or shying away from the flames, however, Soubi did neither. He met Jun's eyes with his own unflinching ones and countered with a potent spell, "Pure, clear waterfall, blessed by forgiveness, put out the flames in one continuous gush, before flowing in the icy, unstoppable river of cleansing towards Hopeless." Even as his spell came into being, he replied to Jun's blurted question, "I am satisfied, Ikeda Jun. I only need my master's orders."

* * *

Letting go of Reika, Sagan Nagisa's hands went to her hips immediately. Her face was flushed with anger as she opened her mouth to speak. "Sagan, what do you want?" Reika hissed as she cut her off and turned to face the diminutive teacher who looked like a teenage girl. Nagisa's eyes flashed as she spat out, "I want you to stop pouncing on Nana-chan at every available opportunity!" To Nana, she held out her hand. "Nana-chan, come here."

A furiously blushing Nana, with a look of bewildered confusion on her face, did as she was told. With a glance at Reika, Nana took Nagisa's hand, seeking comfort in the grip of the only person she ever considered her friend. Yet, since Reika came, her emotions had been fluctuating strangely, akin to being on a roller-coaster ride. Nana wondered at that; she was bewildered by this puzzle that she could not solve, hence she had felt relief when the familiar face of Nagisa presented itself. And hence, she had chosen to take Nagisa's hand - it was not a choice born out of any conscious decision.

The stab of pain that Reika felt in her heart was incomparable. Seeing Nana's action as one of rejection, her face instantly shuttered and her gaze turned icy cool. So it was with that murderous jealousy-filled stare that Reika turned on Nagisa. Despite being willful and heedless of others' opinion, Nagisa could not help but feel a chill down her spine.

* * *

Standing silently outside the entrance to the canteen, half-hidden by the wooden door, Soubi shuddered slightly at Reika-sensei's expression and was strongly reminded of one person – Minami Reika's elder brother, Minami Ritsu. He had seen that expression appear on Ritsu-sensei's face occasionally, when he had brought up his parents in front of Ritsu-sensei. Soon, he had learned not to mention his parents in front of Ritsu-sensei, for the training (a.k.a. abuse) he endured whenever he brought them up always seemed to hurt more.

Pain…was not supposed to bother him. That had been the purpose of Ritsu-sensei's training after all, however, Soubi did not _like_ pain in as of itself. Gingerly touching the inside of his wrists, he was reminded of how much it_ hurt _to be restrained in a spell battle, especially when he had no Sacrifice to take on the damage for him. Even though this was not the first time he had been ordered to fight on Automatic mode, it had been one of the most painful fights since he had become Seimei's Fighter a year ago. Not merely in terms of physical pain, but also…

…_there had been a sharp twinge in Soubi's heart when his potent spell came into being. Proud as he was, even Jun had not managed to suppress a cry when icy water had gushed and swallowed him whole. Watching his one-time friend suffer under his spell had hurt; hurt even worse than the whippings that Ritsu-sensei had made him endure. If not for Seimei's order – _"Defeat them and show everyone the power of Beloved" – _if not for that, Soubi would have dispersed the spell once he heard Jun's outcry, which had been swiftly followed by that of Kimura's. But his master's command came before all else – even his own feelings of not wanting to hurt his first, and to date, only friend…_

"Don't…don't think you can scare me off with that glare, Minami. I will protect Nana from you and your unwanted advances." Nagisa stammered out the first few words, but towards the end, her voice was strong. Reika's eyes narrowed further at that comment. "And who are you to do that, Sagan?" Nagisa wrapped her arm around Nana's slender shoulder. Her smile was confident and predatory. "Why, that's easy to answer, Minami. I'm Nana-chan's only friend."

…_friend. After Soubi had defeated Hopeless, he had been surprised by his one-time friend's reaction. He had expected resentment, anger and even hatred. What he had not expect was the wry resignation in Jun's face. _"I suppose that was only to be expected." _Jun had shrugged off the defeat. _"Although I want you to know this, Sou-kun: I did not lose to you, I lost to my own feelings of guilt." _Soubi had been further surprised by Kimura's reaction. Instead of berating or comforting Jun, Kimura Shouhei had merely laid a non-judgmental hand on Jun's shoulder, signifying their solidarity. Upon seeing that, Soubi had felt a small pang of enviousness, which he had ruthlessly squashed._

_He knew that Jun had noticed. Thankfully, Jun had not said anything about it, instead he had stated, "_I once considered you a fried, Sou-kun. On account of that, this I will tell you." _He had paused for_ _a moment to seek approval from his Sacrifice silently, before continuing, _"We were sent by Reika-sensei to defeat Beloved. Although we have failed, Reika-sensei won't give up. Consider this a warning."

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**Although Kio's supposed to be Soubi's only friend, I sort of took some liberties with the fact and interpreted it as: Kio is _currently_ Soubi's only friend. Hence the idea of Soubi having had a friend in the past:)  
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	6. Chapter 6

**My thanks to the reviewers who have reviewed this story:)  
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**I know this story isn't the usual type of story for this category, since there's no obvious pairing and no sweetness and fluff, so I was pleasantly surprised and very happy when there were actually a few people who reviewed and told me they liked it**.

**My aim is to delve into the possible reasons why Soubi acts the way he does in the anime/manga. His history, his past, his pain, all reflected in one day of his school life.**

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**Daytime - Part Six**

_Soubi had been stunned on many levels when he heard that. Stunned that Reika-sensei, who was not even a part of the Septimal Moon organization, was the one behind everything. Stunned that the answer he sought would actually fall into his hands so easily. Stunned that it was this person, who had been his one and only friend in the eighteen years of his life, who had presented him with the very answer that Seimei had asked him to search for… Friendship. What he once possessed but lost, what he would never have again. For Soubi knew that even if both Jun and him wished to reconcile, Soubi's circumstances would not allow him any friends. _I only need one person to control me… "Thank you." _Soubi's response had been gracious and bland, revealing none of his turbulent feelings… _

…turbulent feelings – two words which could be aptly used to describe Reika's current state of mind. She had no response to Nagisa's statement, no response that would not make it seem like she was a jealous, unreasonable would-be suitor. And that was one thing she was sure Nana would not appreciate. In the end, there was only one thing that Reika could do – leave with dignity. As her face closed down, she presented the usual confident mask to both Nagisa and Nana, before replying, "Indeed. I'm glad that Nana has such a _friend_ then. But this I guarantee, Sagan – Nana will accept my _advances,_ as you call it, within the week. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet my brother." So saying, she swept out of the canteen without as much as a backward glance.

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After thanking Hopeless, Soubi had left them without any other words. Even when Jun and him had been friends, Soubi had rarely revealed his thoughts and feelings to the other boy, preferring instead to keep everything – Ritsu's whippings and taking of his ears included – to himself. Thus, Soubi did not reveal how much Jun's words had helped him. Instead, he had immediately messaged Seimei his findings. A short one-liner was all Soubi typed (Seimei, Reika-sensei is the one who sent Enraged and Hopeless.), for he knew that his Sacrifice would contact him about the details at his own convenience. Then, he had headed to the canteen to grab a bite, for his most recent meal was in fact, that of the previous evening's dinner.

_That morning, Seimei had been in a bad mood – probably due to lack of sleep – and had forbidden Soubi from partaking of his breakfast. Just when Soubi had been about to put the first slice of pancake into his mouth, Seimei had spoken. _"I don't think you deserve to eat breakfast, do you Soubi?" _Soubi's fork has frozen in mid-air upon hearing Seimei's words. After a few seconds however, he had laid down the fork and uneaten pancake slice without so much as a protest. Never mind the fact that it was Soubi who had woke up at the crack of dawn to prepare the pancakes, that this was Soubi's dormitory room, or that the ingredients for the pancakes were all Soubi's. Seimei's orders were absolute, so Soubi had not eaten, even though he knew that that was what his body required after the accelerated healing of the night before…_

Yet, when Soubi had reached the entrance of the canteen, he found himself witnessing a _scene_ between the three female teachers in his school. Even though Soubi himself did not much care about whatever was happening in that room, he knew that Seimei would find any information about the teachers useful. Especially when two of them happened to be members of Septimal Moon, and the third was the younger sister of one.

Soubi was quite sure that he should not allow them to find out about his presence. So long before Reika-sensei had headed out, he had cast a quick spell. "I blend into the shadows and sink into the darkness, invisible to all eyes." After Reika-sensei had stalked past him, both Nana-sensei and Nagisa-sensei had left the canteen too. All three of them had not given him so much as a glance, for Soubi's spell ensured that he remained unnoticed. Thankfully, none of the three were actually Fighters, so they had not sensed the casting of his spell…

A familiar ringtone jolted Soubi out of his thoughts. Releasing the invisibility spell took but a moment, after which Soubi answered the call. _"Meet me at the canteen immediately, Soubi." _The familiar voice was abrupt but clear. Soubi paused for a moment as he worked his way through Seimei's order. Surely Seimei did not mean the high school's canteen… "The canteen at the junior high section?" Soubi asked for the sake of clarification. Seimei's tone was impatient as he replied, _"Of course." _ Without waiting for Soubi's reply, Seimei hung up.

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The junior high canteen was rather near the high school section, hence, within ten minutes of getting the call, Soubi was already entering the junior high canteen. It was apparent that the junior high students were currently having their recess, if the crowd of students in the canteen were anything to go by. However, Soubi picked out Seimei with no difficulty.

Sitting amongst a group of fellow students who were chattering away at light speed, smiling warmly yet not participating, Seimei seemed to be a part of the group, yet at the same time, he seemed to hold himself apart from them. His black wavy hair cascaded over his shoulders in a casually tousled manner and his silky smooth cat ears twitched slightly in the breeze that permeated the canteen, even as a gentle smile lit up his beautiful features. Upon a closer look at Seimei's dark eyes however, Soubi could see that his eyes were half-hooded. Since this only ever occurred whenever Seimei was putting on a mask in the presence of others, Soubi concluded that whatever he might feel about the bunch of students eating with him, it was _not_ easy camaraderie.

As Soubi's gaze met Seimei's, he tilted his head slightly, seeking permission silently. At Seimei's slight nod, he approached the table, but did not take any other action, waiting for further orders. When the group of students noticed his presence, all fell silent, before one girl asked, "Anou…are you looking for someone?" Soubi did not reply, instead, he fixed his gaze upon Seimei, who smoothly answered, "He's meeting me, Sachiko-san."

The girl's eyes widened as she took in Soubi's long blonde hair and his high school uniform. Before she could say anything further however, Seimei was already speaking, "Could you guys go on ahead first? I'll catch up with you later." Seeing that her friends were all murmuring assent, the girl nodded as well. "Yes, sure, Seimei-kun. Oh, before I forget…thanks for lending us your Math homework, by the way." Seimei took the proffered stack of papers with a vague wave of his other hand.

"Don't worry about it. See you later." Soubi almost smiled at the hint of impatience that Seimei had inadvertently betrayed. Seimei's popularity never ceased to amaze Soubi, though he supposed it was due to his apparent willingness to help others – such as by allowing the girl called Sachiko to copy his Math homework. People never seemed to realize though, that Seimei did not lose anything through these actions; after all, he would have had to do that piece of homework anyway, and if allowing it to be copied gained him the goodwill of others, Seimei was very willing to do it.

Soubi patiently waited until Seimei's fellow students had left the canteen before he glanced at Seimei again. Finishing up his food slowly, Seimei gestured for Soubi to sit in his usual manner, tapping at the chair beside him with his foot. As Soubi settled into the chair, he reflected that if they were not at Seimei's school, it would have been the floor that Seimei tapped – Seimei usually relished the opportunity to assert his dominance over Soubi, but not at the expense of causing unnecessary trouble for himself.

"Now Soubi, explain." The order given, Soubi launched into a detailed explanation about the fight with Hopeless, leaving out nothing, not even the relationship between him and Jun. Even though Soubi knew that Seimei would find a way to use that information to his own advantage, he could keep nothing from his Sacrifice. As long as there was an order, Soubi would tell Seimei everything he wanted to know, including to whom and how he had lost his ears at the tender age of sixteen. As he did now.

He concluded his narration on the fight with, "Because of the friendship that once existed, Jun revealed that it was Reika-sensei who ordered the fights. Also…" Soubi paused as he glanced at Seimei, who had furrowed his brows and was currently idly stirring his cup of steaming hot coffee, not willing to interrupt what he recognized as Seimei thinking deeply.

After a few moments, Seimei gestured for Soubi to continue. Upon hearing of the scene in the canteen that Soubi had witnessed, Seimei's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "So. Minami Reika is interested in Nana, who does not appear to be accepting her advances because of Sagan Nagisa. Who, as everyone knows, is interested in Minami Ritsu, who happens to be Minami Reika's brother. Things certainly seem a lot clearer now, don't they, Soubi?" For a moment, Soubi merely stared at Seimei. Then, as his brains finally started working, he could not help but marvel at his Sacrifice's intelligence. "Seimei, do you think…"

A lazy grin appeared on Seimei's face. His eyes, however, were cool and piercing. "Well, there is but one way to confirm it, neh, Soubi? You will pay a visit to Minami Ritsu. Do whatever it takes to find out why Minami Reika is so intent on defeating us." Upon hearing those words, Soubi blanched and his heart gave a sickening lurch. Visit Ritsu-sensei? He'd much rather pull out all his fingernails with a pair of pliers. But…Seimei's words were his law. "Wakarimasu." Soubi replied softly, wincing slightly as he did so. For a minute there, he had hesitated. And even though it was merely a momentary lapse, he knew that Seimei had noticed, for his eyes had narrowed dangerously.

* * *

幸子 Sachiko - Junior high school senior, one of Seimei's classmates. Seems to be very friendly with Seimei, even to the extent of addressing him by his first name.

**Ok, I know it would have been more logical for Soubi to report to Seimei over the phone. Calling Soubi over to the junior high section just for him to report his investigation results is a waste of time, but since its Seimei, I thought it was entirely possible...**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is longer, to make up for the wait! Seimei gets creative when it comes to punishing Soubi.**

**It also includes my take on why Soubi was so cruel to Shinonome Hitomi, Ritsuka's sensei, when he sensed that she liked him.**

**Daytime – Part Seven**

"Such hesitation Soubi, why, do you have any problems with my order?" Seimei purred lightly. Soubi shook his head, slightly frantically. In a crowded place like this, Seimei could not punish him in the usual manner, but it was at times like this that Seimei tended to get creative. And the more creative Seimei got, the worse it was for Soubi.

Like a switch, Seimei's mood changed. From playfully annoyed to dangerously angry. His eyes flashed as he snarled, "Remember Soubi, you're mine. Mine. Who was the one who took you in after Minami Ritsu threw you away? I won't stand for any doubts or hesitation from you." The words pierced Soubi's heart like a thousand daggers, all the more so because they were true.

"I'm sorry…" Soubi breathed out, not because he was trying to avoid punishment, but because he truly was sorry. How could he have hesitated even for a moment? No matter what Seimei ordered, it was Soubi's duty to fulfill that command to the best of his ability. For it was Seimei who took Soubi in, Seimei who made Soubi feel needed, Seimei's very presence who made Soubi feel like he was alive. As long as Seimei wanted him, he would gladly do anything. Yet he had hesitated. For a few seconds, he had hesitated about following Seimei's orders – he deserved to be severely punished.

"Roll up your sleeve and hold out your hand," Seimei commanded. After rolling up his sleeve to just above his elbow, Soubi held out his left hand; he didn't think Seimei would maim him, but he would prefer to be able to use his right hand later in art class. "Palm up." Soubi obeyed, wondering what his Sacrifice had in mind. Surely he was not going to hit him on the palm like some naughty kid? He watched passively as the glint of enjoyment appeared in Seimei's eyes, watched as Seimei grabbed hold of the cup of hot coffee and brought it to hover in midair just above Soubi's wrist.

Anticipating what was to come next, Soubi's breath hitched slightly. As a gentle smile lit up Seimei's features, he tilted the cup and poured. Hot, scalding coffee cascaded onto Soubi's wrist, sending the sensitive nerves at the tender flesh of his wrist screaming. As the coffee emptied over his wrist, it singed and burned his flesh. Seimei did not just stop at his wrist either; he made sure that the burning coffee scalded the entire underside of Soubi's lower arm. Waves of agony shot up Soubi's arm but he did not allow a single sound to escape his lips – Seimei would not want him to draw attention to them in this crowded canteen.

They would have presented a strange scene indeed – one junior high school student, with a serene smile on his face, pouring hot coffee over a high school student's left wrist, while said high school student just sat there submitting to the torture. Soubi had to struggle to keep his eyes open when all he wanted to do was to scrunch it shut in denial of the pain. Butin a way, the pain was cleansing, the disciplinary measures cauterizing his guilt._ I deserve every single bit of this punishment…_ He told himself as his training kicked in – his trembling muscles held his hand still, his face froze into a blank mask and the eyes which met his Sacrifice's gaze were calm and submissive. And it was not merely because of his training. No matter what Seimei did to him, he'd willingly take it.

Seimei appeared happy with his Fighter's stoic demeanor. His gentle smile widened slightly, then, in the next moment, a whispered "Break" escaped his lips as he dropped the cup. Or rather, the broken pieces of the cup. Shards of porcelain sliced into Soubi's delicate, burned skin on the underside of his arm before breaking into even smaller pieces upon hitting the floor. Soubi winced slightly, helplessly, unable to control his involuntary reaction.

"Oh my, how careless of me, I accidently spilled my coffee. Are you alright?" Said for the benefit of those sitting around them, who had turned to look at the commotion, Seimei's voice was dripping with made-up concern. But Soubi could pretend that it was real. For a moment, for a short moment in time… "I'm fine." Soubi gave the reply that was expected from him.

Seimei's eyes were filled with sadistic joy as he smiled. "Well, that's good then. After you clean this up you may go straight back to your lessons." He waited till Soubi had kneeled down to pick up the shards before standing up. Petting Soubi's hair twice, he said casually, "I'll be dropping by to hear about the result this evening, Soubi. Don't disappoint me." Without a backward glance, Seimei picked up his bag and left the canteen.

Soubi closed his eyes as Seimei's footsteps receded. Seimei rarely touched him in such a tender manner; he wanted to treasure the feel of those warm hands on his hair for a few moments more.

* * *

Art class. Soubi's favourite class. Fourth lesson of the day. Because of the scene at the canteen and the meeting with Seimei, Soubi had skipped the third lesson entirely. Which he was sure he would regret tomorrow, when he would have to face the teacher. Right now though, he could not bring himself to care. As he started mixing the colours together, a small smile crept onto his face. Even though his stomach felt horribly empty and his left arm, heavily bandaged, was throbbing painfully, Soubi was…content. True, he had made a mistake but he had been disciplined immediately afterwards, which meant that everything was alright again. It was only when Seimei did not do _anything_ that Soubi would feel extremely uneasy, as if something was not right with the state of things.

Saitou Midori too, was content. _Ah, to be able to see Agatsuma-kun's smile_…_I'm so lucky! _Midori stole another look at her crush, absolutely thrilled that he was sitting right next to her. She had been interested in Agatsuma Soubi for a couple of weeks now, since the beginning of the school term, having fallen in love with his model-worthy good looks, his oh-so-beautiful long blonde hair and his cool attitude in class. _To go to the extent of defying Nagisa-sensei for the sake of his Sacrifice…such devotion! _Midori herself had not found her Sacrifice yet but she admired the bond between the Beloved pair and Soubi's strength as a Fighter – rumour had it that the pair had not even been defeated once since their debut a year ago.

_I'm going to confess to him today,_ she decided. Midori had been working up to it for quite some time now. First, getting into his project group in history class. True, she had ended up doing most of the work with the two other group member since Agatsuma Soubi rarely attended group meetings, but still, it was a step. And then, she had chosen to take art as her elective, even though she was horrible at it, just so she could be even closer to Agatsuma. Looking at his smiling face now, Midori decided that she would have no regrets about taking up this class even if she ended up flunking it.

For weeks now, she had been taking the opportunity to engage him in casual conversation, trying to give him a good impression of herself. "I love the way you paint those butterflies, Agatsuma-kun…" Midori had commented that first time. And from there, it had been easy to strike up a friendly conversation, even if Agatsuma usually gave one-liners as his reply.

It was time to make her move. "Anou…Agatsuma-kun, could you lend me some of your fine paint brushes? I…I broke mine yesterday." It was a natural request to make of someone sitting next to you, Midori thought. Sure enough, Agatsuma passed her the paint brush with a small nod. "Help yourself." Midori flashed him her sweetest smile in thanks, before continuing with her painting.

Wait, was that bandages on his left arm? "Agatsuma-kun, are you hurt?" Concern prompted her to blurt out that stupid question – of course he was hurt, did she think he wrapped bandages around his arm for fun? Agatsuma Soubi glanced at her with an unreadable expression. Midori coloured slightly in mortification. Still, worry prompted her to meet his gaze.

"Coffee spill. It's nothing." A small smile graced Agatsuma Soubi's beautiful features. Could it be? Maybe, maybe, just maybe, Agatsuma-kun returned some of her feelings? At the very least, surely, he felt something for her. After all, in all this time she had been in the same class as him, she had never even seen him smile at anyone, much less talk to them any more than necessary.

As the bell for the lesson ended, Midori spoke again, "Neh, Agatsuma-kun, I have a free period after this, I'd like to continue painting, can I hang on to the brush first? I'll return the brush to you fully cleaned after your next lesson. Meet you at the roof top!" Flashing him another brilliant smile, Midori left the room with her artwork in tow.

* * *

Lunch time. Soubi had rushed through his apology letter during the fifth period, putting the finishing touches on it just as the bell rang. After passing it to Nagisa-sensei with a smirk and a small bow, he had left the staffroom before she could start on one of her rants. Then, he had headed up to the rooftop with some dread.

For Soubi was no fool. Saitou Midori had been acting overly-friendly for a few weeks now. Usually, Soubi's aloof manner and curtness soon put a stop to any attempts at befriending him, but Saitou Midori's persistence had had him thawing slightly towards her - he had even smiled at her! He had not been able to stop himself from showing his appreciation for her concern. Implying that he welcomed her feelings. Which, in hindsight, was a mistake. A mistake which he would have to correct in the next few minutes.

Soubi knew that as a result of his mistake, Saitou Midori had felt encouraged in her affections, culminating in today's obvious attempt to create a chance to speak to him alone. Probably to confess to him. What was it about him that they liked anyway? True, he was considered good-looking, but couldn't they see that there was nothing inside him besides pain? Couldn't they see that his entire existence could be boiled down to two words – Seimei's Fighter? There was no room for anything else, for that would be like admitting that he was in fact, a human in his own right.

Sighing mentally, Soubi steeled himself, knowing that he would have to, yet again, let down a well-meaning girl. It was painful, to see their sad faces after his curt rejections but Soubi could not afford for there to be any lingering feelings. The first few times, he had been gentle, but it had in the end, only resulted in giving them false hopes. Better to be cruel, better that they resented, even hated him.

He pushed open the door to the roof only to see Saitou Midori standing in the middle of the empty yard, her head bowed shyly, her light ash-brown hair and black school skirt fluttering with the breeze. When she heard him open the door though, she looked straight at him with those huge round hazel coloured eyes.

Smiling slightly, Saitou Midori held out the brush to Soubi with both hands. "Agatsuma-kun, here is your brush. Arigatou gozaimashita." Soubi took it from her and stuffed it into his back pocket silently. Then he stood and waited. Much as he would like to immediately disappear from her presence so as to spare them both this ordeal, he knew that there was no point to avoiding Midori. She was persistent; she would merely try to find another chance.

"Anou…" Saitou Midori raised her eyes shyly to meet Soubi's bland gaze. 'Agatsuma-kun, I…I have something to say…" Usually gregarious, Midori seemed to have problems with expressing herself now. Soubi waited patiently for her to get to her point, neither encouraging nor discouraging. This was the most he could do for them, for these unlucky girls who had the misfortune of getting a crush on him. "Agatsuma-kun…I…I…like you…" The last two words were said in so tiny a voice that had Soubi not been standing a mere foot away from Midori, he probably wouldn't have heard her.

Soubi watched as Midori's face flushed until she resembled an over-ripe tomato, watched as she took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. _So brave. _"If you do not mind, would you…go…gooutwithme…that is…" Hope and fear warred in Midori's eyes as she awaited his reply. Yet, she did not show any sign of hiding from Soubi's answer. Looking into Midori's shining, round eyes, Soubi felt the tiniest of tugs in his heart. Midori was a good girl, spirited and strong willed. Perhaps if things had been different, perhaps, just perhaps, Soubi might have been able to enjoy a relationship with her, or some other person like her…

"I refuse. I do not like you, Saitou-san." Cool and curt, delivered with an arrogant tilt of his head and a small smirk. Flipping his blonde hair over his shoulders, he added two sentences. "Don't bother me anymore. It's troublesome."

Soubi held himself still as Midori's eyes widened and filled with tears, as hurt welled up and spilled over into her expression. He forced his eyes to linger on the image of her biting her lips to prevent those tears from falling, forced himself to just stand there as Midori, hand covering her mouth, rushed past him to the stairwell.

_Its better this way, _Soubi told himself. _Better than allowing the problem to fester…in fact, I should not have encouraged her in the first place. _Next time, he told himself. Next time, at the first sign of infatuation, Soubi would warn the person away. He would not make the same mistake twice. The hurt and pain that Midori had felt was his punishment. _Why did she fall for me?_ Why do they have to fall for him? He had asked one girl this question before.

"_Why?" _

_The girl had looked confused, so Soubi had repeated his question. "Why do you like me?" _

"_Because…because you're beautiful." The girl's eyes had been shining with an intensity that Soubi could not stand. _

Soubi knew it was because of his looks. Even the reason behind Ritsu-sensei's taking of him had been because he looked like his dead mother. If he could, if at all possible, Soubi was willing to take a knife to his face. Disfigure himself. Maybe then, no one would get hurt anymore…and he would not be hurt as a result…

Unfortunately, Soubi could not do that. Because this face did not belong to him. Soubi touched his cheek lightly._ This face. This hair. All of these all belong to him. _

_Seimei. Master.

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_

斉藤碧 Saitou Midori - Third year high school student, who has a crush on Soubi. Usually forward and bubbly, courageous when it comes to acknowledging her feelings.

**School just started, so I'm kind of overwhelmed with work now, but hopefully, I will have time to continue this story:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**At last, a short break from never-ending school work allowed me to continue this story. Here's chapter 8 at long last:)**

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**Daytime - Part 8**

School ended for the day with as little fanfare as it had started. The bell rang shrilly, after which the teacher left the class. All around him, Soubi's classmates started preparing to leave, some heading off to their homes, some staying back for other extra-curricular activities. Most of them were chattering and laughing with their friends, a fact which only served to emphasize that Soubi was all alone.

_Alone. _Every time Soubi thought of that word, his breaths became shallower and his pulse sped up. Because of fear, fear which threatened to overwhelm him. No other word in the entire universe could frighten him as much as that one single word. No, not pain, not agony, not even torture would faze him, but that one word…But it was alright, it was okay, because the fact was that, he, Agatsuma Soubi, was not alone. Because of that one person in his life, that one person who would always need him, who would always be with him. His Sacrifice and master.

And it was because of this very person that Soubi was now going to face one of the monsters in his closet –a very big one. _To do, or not to do: that is the question…_Soubi vaguely remembered this quote from his English class, although he was not too sure that he had gotten it right. For Soubi, it was not a matter of a question at all. It was a duty, a task to be completed, ordered by Seimei. So why then, was Soubi dragging his feet over this? Most of his classmates had left the room by now, yet here Soubi was, still dawdling over his packing. For a brief moment, a single brief moment, he toyed with the idea of not going. Perhaps he would tell Seimei that Ritsu-sensei was busy, or that he was not in, or…

Slightly sickened, Soubi stopped the thought immediately. How could he even _think_ of lyinghis way out of an order? Furthermore, there was no guarantee that Seimei would not see through the lie. Or worse, he might believe Soubi, only to think that Soubi was useless and decide that he had no further need of him. Then he might just decide to throw Soubi away, like that man had…Soubi never ever forgot that he was a blank Fighter, not born with a Name – which meant that he was replaceable.

No. Soubi would not give Seimei any reason to replace him. Ever. No matter what he had to do. Firming his resolve, he finished packing his bag, picked it up and strode out of the classroom door.

* * *

Soubi stared at the heavy wooden doors leading to Ritsu-sensei's office for a long moment. He did not wish to do this. Did not wish to speak to Ritsu-sensei, did not wish to confront him. True, Ritsu-sensei had been his guardian since his parent's death. However, he was also the one who took away his virginity and made him endure harsh training; most would claim that it bordered on abuse. To say that Soubi was reluctant to come into close contact with Ritsu would be an understatement. But then, Soubi's wishes and feelings did not matter, did it? Only Seimei's wishes mattered; Soubi had his orders and he would obey them. He had to. What other meaning was there to his existence?

"Come in." Soubi started out of his thoughts. He was not surprised at Ritsu-sensei's detection of his presence – after all, Ritsu-sensei had once been a Sacrifice. Gingerly, he placed his hand on the smooth and cold handle of the door. _I can do this_, Soubi told himself. _No, I _will_ do this. _Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped into the office.

The office looked the same. Unchanged. Since his last visit. Which had been more than one year ago, on the day when Ritsu-sensei had given him to Seimei. The butterflies, pinned and mounted, were still in the same place, stuck on the wall right beside Ritsu-sensei's desk. Their short, insignificant lives had been extinguished just like that, all because of that superficial beauty. _Am I like them? _Soubi tore his eyes off those butterflies with no little effort. Other than that, that wall was as bare, clean and white as it was when Soubi had leaned against it almost every single day to receive his training.

As was the man standing behind the desk. Silver hair, silver-framed glasses, a youthful countenance, dressed in a white collared shirt and black pants. And that perpetual condescending half-smirk on his face was as annoying as usual. Though Soubi knew that Ritsu-sensei must be near forty by now, he did not look a day over thirty.

"My, my. What brings you to my office today, Soubi-kun? This is quite unexpected, considering that you haven't set foot in here since that day." Ritsu-sensei turned to face his student with a bland smile and a cool gaze. Halting just in front of the door, Soubi scowled. "It's not like I want to be here." Being in this room with this man brought back memories, most of which were unpleasant. But it was not the constant whippings nor the semi-consensual sex that Soubi abhorred the most; the most painful memory was the one of Ritsu-sensei stating that he would not be claiming Soubi as his Fighter. Soubi could have taken the harsh training and the taking of his ears, in fact, he might even have welcomed it to a certain extent, but the subsequent abandonment…Soubi would never forgive Ritsu-sensei for that.

Ritsu-sensei raised an eyebrow at Soubi's reply. He stared pointedly at Soubi, who was undeniably in his office. Soubi's scowl deepened. "My personal wishes do not matter," he muttered softly, shifting his gaze to stare past Ritsu-sensei's shoulder. _Wasn't that what you've been teaching me since I was six, Ritsu-sensei? _Soubi did not voice his thoughts out loud, nevertheless, it appeared that Ritsu-sensei could read his thoughts.

"Indeed, I'm happy that you've learnt your lessons well, Soubi-kun. So, what does your master want?" Ritsu-sensei looked slightly amused. Soubi suppressed a slight shiver at Ritsu-sensei's words. He knew that he should not have revealed that he had visited Ritsu-sensei under orders; he was sure that Ritsu-sensei would be quick to take advantage of this fact. But he had no choice now but to go ahead with his task.

After taking a deep, fortifying breath, Soubi plunged into his request. "Seimei wishes to know the reason behind Reika-sensei's recent actions." He briefly told Ritsu-sensei about the attacks on Beloved and the scene in the canteen. "So. What do you know about this?"

Ritsu-sensei shook his head slowly and smirked. "Let's not beat around the bush, shall we, Soubi-kun? You already know that my little sister is behind this – why else would you be here? And now, what you, or rather, your Master, wishes to know is the reason behind her actions. To see if this is a threat to him. And thus, you're here in my office for the first time in almost a year. Seeking my aid." Soubi glared at Ritsu-sensei, thinking that the man was too intelligent and cunning by half. What did he expect? Did he think he could have outsmarted Ritsu-sensei? He laughed bitterly.

"Will you tell me?" Soubi's voice was empty of any inflection whatsoever. Ristu-sensei gazed at Soubi predatorily. "And what will you give me in return, Soubi-kun?"

Soubi held Ritsu-sensei's gaze for a heartbeat. What indeed? What did he have to offer Ritsu-sensei? Soubi dropped his gaze, suddenly feeling a surge of apprehension. "What do you want, sensei?" His voice was tired and resigned, because he knew. He knew what the man in front of him wanted, he knew exactly what price he would demand.

"You know what I want, Soubi-kun." Ritsu-sensei's manner was akin to a shark who had just caught sight of a bleeding, succulent fish. Slowly circling around to stand in front of Soubi, baring his sharp, dangerous teeth, he stepped closer to Soubi. So close that Soubi had to gaze down just to meet Ritsu-sensei's eyes. And since Soubi's back was up against the door he had no space to retreat. Caught like a deer in headlights, Soubi's pulse sped up as Ritsu-sensei spoke one more word.

A single word.

"You."

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**Soubi remembered the quote wrongly. It's supposed to be "to be, or not to be: that is the question", from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Sorry for mangling the quote.**

**What exactly does Ritsu-sensei want? And will Soubi give it to him? Find out in the next chapter!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to all reviewers! I always feel so encouraged when people drop reviews to show that they're actually reading my story.**

**Warning: Err…thought I should put this just in case…slight hints of MXM near the end **

**Onward to the story…

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**Daytime – Part Nine**

Silence filled the room at Ritsu-sensei's declaration. Heart thumping at a crazily rapid rate, Soubi's breathing quickened dangerously. It was one thing to guess at the price he would have to pay but another to have it confirmed aloud, the final action that hammered the nail into the coffin, sealing Soubi's fate.

"I want you to give yourself to me, Soubi-kun. Surrender yourself completely." Ritsu-sensei's eyes gleamed with barely-suppressed excitement as his voice lowered dangerously, "We can continue your training; that wall has been lonely in your absence."

Soubi's breath hitched even as he flinched slightly at those words. Would he have to go through that again? As memories flooded Soubi's consciousness, he was dimly aware of his fingers trembling as the constant ache in his burnt left arm intensified. The flogging…the bright waves of pain, that exquisite, agonizing pain both during and after the process…the enormous amount of self-control needed to hold himself still and silent…Could he endure that again?

It had been over a year since Soubi had last been flogged – Seimei preferred other types of training, usually those which did not require his presence to be carried out. Such as making Soubi kneel for hours on the hard parquet of Soubi's room, on which uncooked rice grains were scattered. Then ordering him to pick it up within time limit. Or making him recite adjectives (good practice for spells) while disinfecting every single inch of his dorm room. Seimei was nothing if not inventive. Even when he meted out punishment in person, he never whipped Soubi. Wielding a knife; that was by far Seimei's favourite. In a rare moment of warmth, he had once told Soubi that he enjoyed creating various crimson patterns on Soubi's creamy, pale flesh.

Seimei. What would Seimei say? Soubi's body belonged to Seimei after all, should he call him for further orders? But no, Seimei had already given his orders on this subject. _Do whatever it takes to find out why Minami Reika is so intent on defeating us…_ And if there was one thing Seimei disliked, it was having to repeat himself.

So. Soubi had no choice in this matter, not at all. Why then, was he hesitating so much? Soubi berated himself mentally. If his Master found out about this hesitation, he would be most displeased. Especially since he had already punished Soubi for hesitation once today – if Soubi committed the same mistake twice, Seimei usually tripled the intensity of the punishment.

Steeling himself, Soubi forced himself to meet Ritsu-sensei's eyes and replied neutrally, "Yes. Ritsu-sensei, I agree to your conditions." Ritsu-sensei's lips curved into an ominous smile. "You'll do everything I ask of you, won't you, Soubi-kun? Obey your Sacrifice's orders like a good little Fighter?"

Somehow, Ritsu-sensei knew Seimei well enough that he manage to guess that Seimei had indeed given an order on this matter. Soubi lowered his eyes and exhaled. "Yes. I will."

"Shall we start then, Soubi-kun? Remove your shirt." Soubi bit his lips slightly in nervous apprehension before his training kicked in. Years of obeying Ritsu-sensei made his hands fly automatically to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them deftly and rapidly. Stripping off the shirt, he folded it before neatly placing it on the floor. Then, before Ritsu-sensei could give another order, he strode purposefully to that wall and placed his hands on it, palms flat, arms and legs both shoulder-width apart, quelling the tell-tale tremors in his body with a deep breath. _I must do this. I will do this for Seimei._

Ritsu licked his lips appreciatively. "Excellent, Soubi-kun. You remember the position required of you." Taking in the sight of the teenager's pale smooth skin drawn tightly over a lean muscular body shielded partially by a cascading wave of silver blond hair had Ritsu fairly salivating. He could not wait to put some well-deserved marks on the boy, since the boy had been so insolent to him. Striding over to his desk, he opened the bottom drawer and took out a long, black lacquered box.

Hearing Ritsu-sensei's footsteps behind him, Soubi barely managed to hold himself still. Cocking his head slightly, he listened for the tell-tale snick of the box being opened and a rustling sound that told him that Ritsu-sensei had finally chosen the tool of the day. _Which would it be? The soft leather flogger? The one with knots in it? Or the one with bits of metal in it?_ He wondered about it detachedly, his mind already drifting away from his body in anticipation of the start of the whipping, even though he knew he was not supposed to do that. The point of the training after all, was supposed to train him to be able to stay alert even when he was in pain. At this moment however, Soubi could not bring himself to care very much about the supposed goal of this training.

Dimly he was aware of Ritsu-sensei drawing near, of the swish of the instrument through the air, then…

Pain sliced through his back in a licking flame, so sharp that he was jolted out of his semi-daze. Biting his lips harshly, Soubi managed to keep from making a sound, though he did not manage to hide the slight flinch of his back in time. _Argh…_Soubi knew he was in trouble. Bracing himself for the consequences of his lapse, he shuddered mentally when Ritsu-sensei spoke.

"Dear me. Soubi-kun, it seems that you've forgotten your training. It looks like a reminder is necessary after all." _What right do you have to speak thus? You were the one who abandoned me, Ritsu-sensei, you were the one who threw me away…_For a second, Soubi opened his mouth and drew breath, about to reveal all his pent-up emotions. That second passed quickly. He had no need for emotions – he was merely a tool – Seimei had no need for his emotions. So he swallowed his words along with his bitterness, sadness and frustration, choosing to channel all his will into remaining still as thereafter, the blows followed, hard, fast and merciless.

Memories flooded through Soubi; long, humid, hazy afternoons of standing with his sticky palms flushed against the wall, struggling to control each tic and tremor that his body involuntarily produced. _Thwack! _The difficulty of remaining upright, remaining still, remaining submissive as the flogging continued…_Thwack!_ The firm, fervent belief that Ritsu-sensei was actually doing this for his own good, was training him to be the perfect Fighter. _Thwack! _Being touched that someone cared enough about him to be concerned about what he might become…his fear of disappointing Ritsu-sensei…and always, always, those fleeting moments of empathy with those pretty, captive, beautiful, _damned_ butterflies… _Thwack! _Each agonizing sblow of the whip catapulted Soubi even more deeply into the memories and emotions of the past.

Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, at long last the whipping stopped. Soubi heard the soft clatter as Ritsu-sensei allowed the whip to slip from his hands, _felt_, rather than see, Ritsu-sensei step closer to him, so close that he felt his teacher's warm, moist breath on his shoulder.

"At least you didn't forget _all _your training Soubi-kun. You wouldn't want to be thrown away, would you? You know Seimei would only tolerate the very best; the perfect Fighter." _Thrown away…_Ritsu-sensei's words sliced into Soubi's heart like a rusty knife, poisoning and hurting. He did not think he could stand it were his current master to abandon him as cavalierly as Ritsu-sensei had.

And Ritsu-sensei knew it too. "You'd do anything to stop it from happening, won't you? Fulfill all my conditions to get the answer for your master." Biting softly at Soubi's ear, Ritsu-sensei licked a shining trail to Soubi's neck. _Anything…anything to please Seimei…_ Soubi tilted his head and bared his neck in submission, allowing his actions to be his eloquent reply, for he could not, would not, say the words.

Ritsu-sensei did not appear to be bothered by the fact though, as he started to caress Soubi. Strong arms wrapped around Soubi, fingers slid across Soubi's bare flesh, smoothing over the welts and smearing the blood from the whipping, pinching his nipples, exploring his heated, tender flesh, sending tingles up Soubi's spine, igniting small flames across his skin. _No…_ Soubi could feel himself starting to react against his teacher's touch, as much as he was reluctant to do so – it had been ages since he felt the touch of another, except for those brief periods when Seimei punished him…

But no, he refused to react to Ritsu-sensei's touch, Soubi told himself as Ritsu-sensei laid down painful bites on Soubi's sensitive skin, sometimes over the ridges of the thorn-shaped scars that wrapped halfway around his neck. _I don't like pain, i don't like pain...I do NOT like the pain..._Soubi repeated to himself like a mantra, as if by repeating it enough times it would somehow become true. For he was absolutely certain that his shattered, broken heart would not be able to withstand another blow. Experiencing again this warmth, this connection, these hands of Ritsu-sensei, this pseudo affection (Soubi knew he was very good at lying to himself) only to have it taken away once more. Another agonizing experience to cause him anguish in his lifetime of painful experiences.

Unfortunately, Soubi's body craved for even the slightest bit affection it could get, even if logic dictated otherwise. As Ritsu-sensei drew Soubi away from the wooden door, Soubi, in desperation, finally allowed himself to withdraw deep into his mind, into a sheltered, protected part of his consciousness, hoping, praying, to feel nothing.

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**Well, that's it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed it!**

**I always thought Soubi stating he did not like pain was a case of protesting too much. And I thought he would probably be desperate for affection since Seimei, probably the only interaction he gets on more than a shallow basis, doesn't like touching.  
**

**Oh, on a side note, I won't be updating this fic for another month or so, because finals are approaching and my textbooks and lecture notes beckon. Sadly.**

**Thank you to all readers for your support!**


	10. Chapter 10

**School's out, and I'm enjoying myself now, and I've finally got the time to work on this story. Apologies for the long wait, and thank you all, for sticking with me till the end. Especially to all my reviewers – this story would have never been completed without your encouragement.

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**Daytime – Part Ten**

"Dress yourself, then leave." Staring at the desk numbly, Soubi's wavering consciousness struggled to comprehend Ritsu-sensei's words. When he had finally deciphered his teacher's words, he could not help but close his eyes as disgust washed over him. Disgust at himself. At being treated like a whore. After Ritsu-sensei had used his body satisfied himself, he had dressed quickly, leaving Soubi to bend naked over his desk, where upon he had proceeded to fulfill his end of the bargain by telling Soubi everything he knew about Reika-sensei and her plans. Soubi had felt shame burn his cheeks at his humiliating position even as he absorbed the information delivered like a sponge. And now…to be chased so hastily from Ritsu-sensei's office. _Just like a whore is removed after the sex…_

But there was nothing Soubi could do about it. For the truth was, he was a tool wasn't he? Seimei's tool, to be used and discarded as he pleased… And if others insisted on treating him like the tool he was, well, he could hardly complain about it could he? His shame and humiliation intensified as Ritsu-sensei leaned casually against his window, eyes raking over Soubi's well-used body as he dressed, with a smirk on his lips. After Soubi buttoned up his shirt haphazardly, masochist that he was, he looked up to meet Ritsu-sensei's gaze. For a moment, he was confused by the brief flitter of emotion that soon disappeared. Ritsu-sensei's eyes soon turned back into his normally glacial, arrogant gaze however, eyes that told Soubi he was nothing more than a convenient body, that he did not even deserve another word now that he had served his purpose

Even as his heart started to ache with a dull pain, years of ingrained conditioning prompted Soubi to say, "Goodbye, Ritsu-sensei. Thank you for the training." Even as the last words left his mouth, mortification flooded through Soubi. Why was he thanking the man who had, in essence, blackmailed him to submit to abuse and sexual activities? Ritsu-sensei's conditioning was deeper than Soubi could even fathom. Without waiting for a reply, Soubi grabbed his school bag and removed himself from the room as quickly as he could.

* * *

Ikeda Jun took a small puff from his cigarette even as he gazed unseeingly at the vista before him. School over for the day, he had taken refuge at the rooftop for a few cigarettes. Even the breathtaking view of the city from the rooftop could not lift Jun's current mood. Agatsuma Soubi. Seeing the blonde today had stirred up half-buried memories of the time they had spent together on this same rooftop, laughing, eating and generally enjoying themselves. _Sou-kun…_ Seeing his one-time friend's prowess in battle today, Jun had been all but prepared to bid farewell to his guilt and the memory of their friendship with the consolating thought that Soubi was happy and doing well.

Yet certain niggling details refused to add up. Soubi's open submissiveness, confirmed before Jun's own eyes. The scars on Soubi's neck, engraved so cruelly into that tender flesh. Not sustained in battle, no, but carved personally by his Sacrifice – an act of dominance, of ownership. And the fact that his Sacrifice had apparently ordered Soubi to fight them on Automatic mode. Jun was disturbed by that thought – didn't his Sacrifice know that Soubi could have sustained grievous injuries doing that? Without the presence of a Sacrifice to take the damage, the Fighter could have been hurt beyond repair. Yet since Seimei was by no accounts a beginner at battles, Jun was forced to conclude that yes, Seimei did know that, but no, he did not care about his Fighter being hurt at all.

Had Soubi still been his friend, had they not drifted apart, Jun would have been confronting Aoyagi Seimei about it at the first opportunity. But now, there was nothing he could do. Their friendship had ended long ago, Jun had no right to interfere in Soubi's life now. There was only one thing he could do. Closing his eyes, Jun offer up a quick prayer to the gods that he rarely invoked. _Someone in his life, somehow, save Sou-kun. Be by his side, like I could have been. _

Little did Jun know, but _there was no such person in Agatsuma Soubi' s life_ at this point of time.

* * *

Ritsu had watched in silence as his…student, Soubi-kun dressed and left the room. Though he had blinked in surprise as said student had thanked him. Perhaps the boy was still, however slightly, under his control then? He had thought that once Soubi-kun had had a new master, he would not longer be Ritsu's oh-so-pliable plaything. Ritsu smiled lazily. Really, the bargain had been more than worth it to Ritsu. Tell the boy all about his foolish sister's pointless maneuverings in exchange for having that delightful body under his control once more? It was no contest really.

For a moment, he felt a small pang of guilt at using the boy thus. Then memories of Soubi-kun's mother returned to him…how she had left him for another, how she had betrayed him…those memories served to effectively squash whatever small feelings of guilt he might have had. No, the boy was his. His to play with. And perhaps, his to care for as well. Not for the first time, he wondered if giving him over to Aoyagi Seimei had been a good idea. That Aoyagi kid seemed like a very capable master; Soubi had been absolutely under his control. And yet… Still, there was nothing he could do about it now. With a mental sigh, Ritsu went back to his desk to look through his students' papers.

* * *

Minami Reika looked up from the papers she had been grading and sighed. _Well, that had gone well,_ she thought sarcastically, as her thoughts flew back to the events of that morning. Whatever had possessed her to throw down the gauntlet to Sagan Nagisa in front of Nana? It had been a foolish move to make, one that she would have to do damage-control for. Nevertheless, Reika did not regret the contents of that statement – by hook or by crook, she would get Na-chan to accept her within the week. No matter what she had to do…she scowled as she thought of her failed attempts to defeat Beloved thus far. Maybe she should rethink her strategy, take another more direct approach; getting her brother's aid was taking more time and effort than it was worth. As her mind once more bent to the task of planning and plotting, Minami Reika reached out for her tea cup.

* * *

Late afternoon. Soubi had immediately rushed to the bathroom to clean himself up as best as he could after returning to his dorms. After a very thorough shower, Soubi had realized that he had forgotten to bring a clean shirt with him into the bathroom. And no wonder. What with everything that Ritsu-sensei had done to him, he was still in an emotionally fragile state of mind. It was miraculous that he had even found his way back to the dorm, since his mind had been in a hazy state since he left Ritsu-sensei's office. So it was that Soubi found himself dressed in only in a pair of black pants, a white towel draped loosely over his blonde hair, crossing the hall to get to his bedroom and his clothes, when his mind registered a jangling at the main door. Jangling keys, from the sound of it. Soubi froze. Other than him, the only person who had the keys to his dorm room was…

Seimei entered his Fighter's dorms with a slight frown on his face. He had not expected to arrive at Soubi's place so early, but he had completed his homework in record time today and had nothing else to occupy his attentions. _Oh well…Soubi should be back by now_. Seimei knew his Fighter's timetable perfectly and he made sure that except for school, Soubi spent most of his time back at the time or doing Seimei's bidding.

Nevertheless, he was not prepared for the sight that greeted him when he stepped into Soubi's dorm. In the middle of the hall stood one Agatsuma Soubi, frozen in mid-step, bare-chested and dripping wet, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression on his face. Seimei eyed his Fighter critically. Leanly muscled and fair, just like how Seimei liked his canvas. Though perhaps a tad on the thin side…hmm, Seimei did not like bones protruding from his canvas; he supposed he would have to allow his Fighter the opportunity to eat. No more than one skipped meal a day perhaps…

At the sight of his fighter still rooted to the spot, Seimei raised an eyebrow sardonically and commanded, "Well, what are you still doing there? Go get dressed. I don't want you dripping water all over the floor." Startled out of his frozen position, Soubi bowed his head and answered meekly, "Yes, Seimei," before doing as ordered.

* * *

Five minutes later, Soubi was seated cross-legged on the floor in front of Seimei, who had settled in the armchair specially reserved for him. "So, what news do you have for me?" Seimei questioned lazily, regarding his fighter through narrowed eyes. The older teenager straightened his spine and started to reply. "I went to Ritsu-sensei after school. He told me that Reika-sensei,, who is interested in Nana-sensei, had made a bet with him. If she could get one of her students to defeat us, Ritsu-sensei would have to date Nagisa-sensei. Reika-sensei believes that Nagisa-sensei's presence is what causes Nana-sensei to hesitate in accepting her."

Seimei could not help but fume silently at that. Oh, the folly of adults! All those deeds just because of love/lust…and to think that he feared that Minami Reika had discerned his plans. Oh it was laughable indeed, that the actions which had caused him to proceed so cautiously with his plans had its roots in mindless lust. Well, no matter. This incident only further served to underscore Seimei's belief in his capabilities _and _others' lack of abilities. Now that there was no longer any danger to his plans, he could proceed full steam ahead…with his fighter's active participation, of course.

Seimei glanced at Soubi, still seated docilely on the floor, awaiting orders. He was pleased with his fighter; Soubi had undeniably done well today. But wait…Seimei narrowed his eyes slightly. "Soubi, tell me this: how did you get Minami Ritsu to reveal his sister's motives?" _Bingo! _Seimei thought as Soubi almost imperceptibly flinched at that question. He eyed his fighter in lazy enjoyment as Soubi's shoulders tensed, and he bowed his head.

"I…" It was best to get it over with, Soubi knew. To drag it out would only serve to heighten his own discomfort and Seimei's sadistic pleasure. Yet even if he wouldn't admit it, deep down, Soubi had always been a masochist. "…I made…a deal with…him." Soubi would have liked the explanations to stopped there, but he knew that Seimei would definitely not stand for it; he would not stop till he dug out every last painful bit of information.

Eyes still lowered, for he was unable to meet Seimei's gaze, Soubi continued, "He would give me information and I…would let him…" His next words came out almost as a whisper. "whip…me…" Seimei's voice, by contrast, was as sharp and clear as a blade. "What else? Speak up, Soubi." Humiliated and mortified, Soubi clenched his fists tightly as he tried his best to obey Seimei's order. "My body…" Soubi continued, trying not to let his anguish show, "to use…as he wished…"

"Why don't you be more specific, Soubi? Tell me what Minami Ritsu did to you," commanded Seimei in a mild tone that belied the cruel nature of the question. Soubi looked up at his master in such anguish that it would have melted the stoniest of hearts. But Seimei's gaze was unrelenting. Soubi, despite the burning shame and humiliation he felt, had no choice but to whisper, "He…we…had sexual intercourse."

Upon hearing that statement, Seimei experienced two conflicting emotions; on one hand, he felt stirrings of possessiveness that resulted in his displeasure at someone else touching what was his, on the other, he delighted in the fact that Soubi had gone to such lengths to obey his order. Eyeing his Fighter critically for one moment, Seimei ordered, "Strip."

Soubi suppressed a wince upon hearing that order, but his hands had already automatically flew to unbutton the few buttons of his shirt that he had buttoned, his burned and sliced up left arm moving slightly awkwardly. Wondering what Seimei was going to do had never helped Soubi, so he suppressed his thoughts and concentrated on following orders. When he had finally taken off the shirt, he folded it and laid it neatly by his side.

"Show me your back." Soubi heaved an internal sigh of relief; Seimei merely wished to see what Ritsu-sensei had done to him. Getting to his knees, Soubi turned so that the whole of his lacerated back was facing Seimei. With a practice sweep of his hands, he brought all his blonde hair to his front, so as to allow his Sacrifice an uninterrupted view. He had taken a look at it in the bathroom. While many of the welts were long and angry-red, only a few had shown signs of bleeding and they had long since scabbed over. Soubi supposed he ought to thank his accelerated healing abilities for that…

Leaning back in his chair, Seimei took a moment to just catalogue the various welts on Soubi's back. Some stood alone, some were criss-crossing the others, some were a faded pink, some were livid red against the pale flesh. So many kinds of marks on his tool, all of them inflicted by someone other than himself. But all of them incurred while Soubi was obeying Seimei's orders. Just like during a spell battle. That made it alright, Seimei supposed. Though he certainly did not want any permanent reminders on Soubi's alabaster flesh…it was his; his alone to mark.

"You will heal all of them Soubi. No scarring." Seimei waited for the obedient "Yes, Seimei" from Soubi before speaking again. "Now come." Beckoning Soubi to him, he watched as the older man shuffled forwards on his knees. Taking Soubi's head into his hands, he placed it on his lap and started playing with Soubi's blonde locks, his fingers occasionally drifting to touch the scars he had carved into his Fighter's neck – Beloved. A small reward, like a bone thrown to a dog; Seimei knew that his punishments would have a greater effect with the occasional positive reinforcement. And Soubi had performed adequately today.

If he were a cat, Soubi would have purred in pleasure. His master was pleased with him, Soubi knew. And that made everything he had experienced today worth it – the flogging, the sex, everything. He didn't often get such caresses on the same day he was punished – Seimei must have forgiven him for his mistake during recess. As Soubi buried his face into Seimei's pants, he soaked up the soft touches like a half-starved kitten. Starved not for food, but for such scraps of affection from his master. For these scraps, Soubi would do anything. Obey any order. Perform any task. Sacrifice his body, his life and his soul.

Watching the room glow in the evening sun heralding the day's end, Soubi knew that someday, he just might be commanded to do that. For his master only viewed him as a tool to be used, then discarded. But Soubi was content with that. For that would be in the far future. And as long as he remained useful to Seimei, he would not be thrown away. No, Seimei would keep him for a long time yet. Or so he told himself.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Life went on for everyone. The Beloved pair went on to win many battles; they became a legend amongst Fighters and Sacrifices. The other pairs, Hopeless and Enraged were not considered small fry either.

On the relationships aspect, Hanayama Jirou asked Etou Yumi out one fine summer evening, but he was turned down. According to Yumi, "I only like you as a brother."

After that day, Ikeda Jun rarely thought of Soubi, mainly because he was completely consumed by the love he found out he had for his Sacrifice. Luckily for him, Kimura Shouhei reciprocated his feelings. "I have been waiting for you, Jun. I'm glad you have finally gotten in touch with your feelings," were Kimura's words when Jun had stammered a hasty confession.

Minami Reika managed to convince Nana of her sincerity. They dated for a while, but in the end, Nana could not accept Reika's manipulative personality and they broke up. Minami Reika left the Academy in search of greener pastures. "I'm sorry we didn't work out, Na-chan. I'll always be there when you need me. Take care of yourself," were Reika's last words to Nana.

As for her brother, Soubi avoided Minami Ritsu whenever he could and suppressed his emotions when he could not, "I have nothing to say to you, Ritsu-sensei. Goodbye," stated Soubi upon being asked to stay for a few moments after his graduation ceremony.

Soubi's devotion to his master continued and so did Seimei's attitude towards his Fighter. "Yes, Seimei. Understood," were Soubi's oft-repeated answers to Seimei's orders.

Unfortunately, two years later, Seimei did indeed abandon Soubi – he 'died'. And thus we come full circle to the beginning of Loveless.

* * *

**Well, that's all folks! Cheers and Happy New Year!**


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